There are a handful of directors who compete, in my mind, for all-time greatest. Kelly Reichardt, David Lynch, Yasujiro Ozu, Abbas Kiarostami... Abbas Kiarostami. The late Iranian master who, between 1987 and 1994, directed three interconnected films that came to be known as The Koker Trilogy (a moniker he allowed but didn't coin). The three … Continue reading Minutiae: The Zig-Zag Path in The Koker Trilogy
Director: Taika Waititi Stars: Taika Waititi, Scarlett Johansson, Thomasin McKenzie With nationalism on the rise - and closer to our doors than we'd often like to think - Taika Waititi's 'anti-hate' satire Jojo Rabbit couldn't be more timely... on paper. The whimsical director has developed a devout following between cult hits like What We Do In … Continue reading Review: Jojo Rabbit
Director: Tom Hooper Stars: Francesca Hayward, Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift When I was 16 I took LSD for the first and only time in my life. I had anticipated, thanks to TV and film, to suddenly see conjured pink elephants and gateways to other dimensions. Time-lapsed flowering mushrooms and the like. That didn't really happen. … Continue reading Review: Cats
Director: J.J. Abrams Stars: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega You could feel it coming; a disturbance in the force. Gradually, as the press junkets for The Rise of Skywalker began, different members of the cast started speaking fondly of how Abrams' return felt so welcome. Abrams himself joined the fray. You could sense the urge … Continue reading Review: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Director: Sophia Takal Stars: Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Cary Elwes In an early scene of Sophia Takal's unfairly derided Black Christmas, Imogen Poots' Riley is selected in her classic literature class to suppose a writer's intention. She responds that the context-free quote speaks of how men think and women feel; that because of this it is a man's … Continue reading Review: Black Christmas (2019)
Director: Greta Gerwig Stars: Florence Pugh, Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson There's a scene in Noah Baumbach's Mistress America in which Greta Gerwig's character Brooke has to pitch her idea for New York restaurant called Mom's. The place would have big chunky furniture; where at the end of the night the chef and the service staff joined the … Continue reading Review: Little Women
The top ten If Beale Street Could TalkUsMadeline's MadelineThe Farewell The Irishman/I Heard You Paint HousesEighth Grade Monos Burning Support The GirlsHomecoming - A Film by Beyoncé Film Of The YearIf Beale Street Could Talk "In a very real sense If Beale Street Could Talk is one of the most ecstatic expressions of romance to … Continue reading The Best of 2019
Director: Jake Kasdan Stars: Karen Gillan, Danny DeVito, Awkwafina When, in combination, The Greatest Showman and Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle took more money for Sony than the last Bond film, it seemed inevitable that at least one of them would be franchised as quickly as possible. Jumanji was the obvious choice. After all, it was … Continue reading Review: Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Mati Diop Stars: Mame Bineta Sane, Amadou Mbow, Nicole Sougou The Senegalese peninsular city of Dakar is one of West Africa's extremities, reaching out to the Atlantic. The city itself is eager to broaden its appeal to the developed world. In this earnest endeavour, disparities between rich and poor are ripe for observation, and … Continue reading Review: Atlantics
Director: Noah Baumbach Stars: Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Scarlett Johansson Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) were a happily married couple living in New York, until they weren't. Noah Baumbach's latest film - a mix of emotionally wrought drama and excruciating farce that plays out like a career summation - unpicks a marriage as … Continue reading Review: Marriage Story
